Use "it takes" to indicate the quantity of time required for
someone to do something.
It
takes Ann 10 minutes to get to school by bus.
It
takes us about an hour to get to the beach.

If
we are not talking about anyone in particular:
It takes 10 minutes to get to school by bus.
It takes an hour to get to the beach.

"It
takes" is also used to talk about a quantity of material that is
needed to finish a task.
It takes 25 gallons of gas to fill my tank.
It takes a pound of chicken to prepare that recipe.
It takes 2 cups of flour to make that cake.

When you
say "it takes time", it means need a lot of time to do
something.
It takes time to wash all the windows in my house.
It takes time to find the right job.

Question:
How long does it take...?
How long
does it take to get to Rome by car?
It takes 6 hours.

Used with other tenses:
How long
did it take to finish your English
assignment?
It took 4 days.
How long
will I take to make that cake?
It’ll take an hour.

The
teacher can give sample situations:...to cook dinner?
To wash your hair
...to get to the gym? To
make an apple pie?
...to finish packing for your vacation?
...to paint the kitchen? To give your
dog a bath?
...to get to the airport? To finish
reading a novel?
...to wash the dishes
To learn how
to drive?

These
situations can be written on cards and placed in a box. The
students, working in groups, will choose a card and form the
question, using different tenses.
Each
group will have turns to ask and answer the questions.

A
Nice Thought
"Language is the means of getting an idea from my brain to yours
without surgery!"